"That's called good marketing": Chinese zoo tries to pass off dog as lion in resurfaced clip, sparks wild reactions online

The Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China has disputed allegations that several of its bears were actually people in costumes. This happened after videos of a Malayan sun bear standing on its back legs went viral. The bear was looking uncannily human. This entire thing fueled rumors that the animal was probably a human in a bear costume.

When the authorities denied that Angela, the Malayan sun bear, was human, many people on the internet were ashamed that they had reacted to the hypothesis.

However, it might not have been irrational or far-fetched after all.

According to a recently resurfaced video, two years ago, another zoo in China tried to pass off a golden retriever as an African lion. The video has been revived online in light of China's explanation that the bear in question is indeed a bear and not a man dressed as one.

This entire incident sparked curiosity and wild reactions among netizens, who took to Twitter to express their opinion under the post uploaded by Daily Loud. The news spread so quickly that it had already received over 179K views and over 2.5K likes at the time of writing this article.

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @WheatiesNFT)

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Netizens react to the video of a dog being passed off as a lion in a Chinese zoo

Recently rumors spread that a Chinese zoo attempted to pass off a man in a suit as a sun bear due to its human-like attitude. However, many were left stunned when the zoo disputed the charges and it became evident that the animal was most likely a real sun bear.

The zoo even tried to do some damage control after this rumor. Officials issued a statement written from the point of view of the sun bear saying that the people "didn't understand" the species. The statement, which has been translated by CNN, also read:

“I’m Angela the sun bear – I got a call after work yesterday from the head of the zoo asking if I was being lazy and skipped work today and found a human to take my place".

It also added:

“Let me reiterate again to everyone that I am a sun bear – not a black bear, not a dog – a sun bear!”

However, a resurfaced video from 2021 of a wildlife center in another part of China reveals that the wild theory was not entirely unjustified. Instead of a human being impersonating a bear, this video depicts a Golden Retriever dog impersonating a lion.

This entire incident garnered hilarious reactions from the Twitter users. They took to the social media platform and flooded the comment section of Daily Loud’s Twitter post with their hilarious comments.

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @Irunnia_ / @suryasparrowOF / @VikingIrishGod)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @Coquicide / @ReaperGallery / @AliyahSweetMaya)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @sol_strain)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @banbo823)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @nftsofiawhite / @CryptoHawkeye1 / @bmurphypointman)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @Nataliakrypt)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @ogKOBEWAN)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @bstrat515)

Netizens react wildly to the video (Image via Twitter / @θxEnjooyer)

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A Chinese father first realized that it is a dog and not a lion

Mr. Tang first discovered that it's actually a dog (Image via Getty Images)

Another zoo in China was accused two years ago of attempting to pass off a Golden Retriever as a lion. A man taking his daughter to the zoo was astonished to find the golden-haired dog in a cage, despite a sign on the bars indicating an African lion was inside.

The father, whose surname was Tang, jokingly said that the animal seemed "familiar" and asked whether it "hadn't grown up" yet.

In the video taken inside the Chinese zoo, Tang can be heard saying something in Mandarin. Roughly translated, that reads:

"At first, we feared we had arrived at the wrong location. But after walking around the cage, we realised it was the right place for the lion. Does that look like an African lion? Is it because it hasn't matured yet? It seemed to be familiar to me".

He also asked a worker whether the animal was an "African lion" and it probably looked so different "because it hasn't grown up yet."

He also explained that, while he was irritated that he had paid for the ticket, it was a minor inconvenience compared to the challenge of convincing his child that the Golden Retriever was not, in fact, a lion.